Fruit-jar.



F. BRELLE, SR.

FRUIT JAR.

APPLICATION. FILED AUG. 5, I914. 1,142,231 Patented June 8, 1915. F. Z 2 11 F7. 6-

w 14 i 14 13 f 7 /W 11 7 J I ,X I 3 13 1 WITNESSES ATTORNEY 1 San Jose,

' FRANK BRELLE, sn, or san JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

FRUIT-JAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 5, 1914. 'Serial No. 855,245.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK .BRELLE, Sr, a citizen of the United States, residing at in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented anew of which the fol- This invention has reference to fruit jars, and means for sealing and facilitating the sealing ofthe fruit jars.

The object of the present invention is to provide afruit jar of the vacuum-seal type, whereby a jar cover is effectively sealed, andv is .lso temporarily held in place by temporarily applied holding means, while the contents of the jar are heated to drive out-all air in the jar, whereby upon cooling mouth of the jar,

the jar a vacuum is created therew-ithin, and the cover is held in place by atmospheric pressure More over, the present invention admits of the utilization of a jar of smoothcylindrical exterior without protuberances of any kind, whereby the jars are readily packed without injury or liability of breakage. In accordance with the present invention the jar is of the same diameter throughout and the cover member may be of the same diameter as the jar, and is so arranged that with a sealing ring gasket of suitable width the sealing gasket may be lodged between thefree end of the mouth of the j rm and the corresponding portion of the cover where matching the mouth of the jar. The cover is provided with a plug portion entering for an appropriate distance into the and so shaped and spaced with relation to the inner wall of the mouth of the jar as to cause a portion of the seal-' ing gasket to lodge between the plug portion andthe inner wall of thus materially extending the sealing zone and correspondingly improving the seal and preventing possible leakage.

When the jar has received the material to be preserved the cover is applied and is of the contents of held in place by temporary clip members the present invention and-s0 provided by to yield to internal pressure arranged as permitting the escape of air and steam or.

vapor generated tents of the ar.

pressurebegins to be exerted upon the cover the contents of changed and modified so the mouth of th'e'jar,-

due to the cooling of the contents to such an extent that subatmospheric pressure is produced within the jar. When the contents of the jar have become cold, the superiority of the atmospheric pressure over any 7 pressure which may possibly exist within the jar is so great as to effect the complete and'perfect sealing of the jar against any possibility of the entrance of air, so that the jar remain perfectly protected against the entrance of any deleterious material; the heating having primarily sterilized the contents of the jar. When the atmospheric sealing is established, the temporary holding clips are removed, so that the exterior ofthe jar is wholly free from 'protuberances, and the jar on'the exterior is straight from end to end. Usually the jars are made cylindrical, but this does not preclude the formation of the jars of other cross-section so long as the jars are.

of substantially constant form throughout their length. I

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed'description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the further un derstanding that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention. V i

In the drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of a jar constructed in accordance with the present invention, with the .cover or cap member in place, and also showing the temporary holding clips in place. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 83 ofFig. 1. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of one of the temporary holding clips. Fig. 5 is a view of the top portion of the jar similar to Fig. I but showing'a somewhat modified form thereof.

- Referring to the drawings, there is shown a jar 1 usually, though not necessarily, made of glass, and usually, though not necessarily, circular in cross-section. For convenience of description it will be considered that the jar is circular in cross-section, but.

' ally slightly rounded, as indicated at 3, and

7 jar as cylindrical, the

edge are laterally on opposite sides of the outer face of the jar in suitably spaced relation to the, mouth elongated notches 4 for a purpose to be described.

Adapted to the mouth end'of the jar is a cap member .5 having .a ce,n-trally depressed portion and a marginal rounded rib 6 ,hav

ing a radial outstanding flange 7, which may have a slightly concave face 8 conforming generally to the rounded edge .3 of the mouth 01" the jar. The outer diameter of the cap member including the flange 7 is substan-Y tially that of the jar, and considering the cap member is made circular. v f

The depressed portion of the cap member has an outer marginal portion 9 slightly tapering and forms a plug cap member designed to enter the mouth of the jar for a short distance with the tapering margin '9 quite close to the inner wall of conforming in a general way to the the mouth of the r a sealing cap. There jar. There is also provided gasket 10 usually of rubber and though not necessarily, concave and convex on the other, and shape of adapted preferabl; on one face that portionof the .cover'or closure to rest on the end of the mouth of the jar andproject a short distance thereinto. The width of the sealing gasket is such that it extends from approximately the outer edge of the flange 7 to the inner edge of the taper wall 9 of the plug part of thecover, cap or closure. The sealing ring or gasket is made of such diameter as to snugly fit the sealing 7 part of the 'cap where Y ters the mouth of the jar, wherefore the sealit rests on and ening ring'engages not only. the upper edge of the mouth of the jar, considering the jar as upright, but also lodges between the inner wall of the mouth of wall of the plug. When suitable pressure is applied to the cap or closure, the gasket squeezes tightly against the walls between which it is confined,andprovides an extended seal from about the outer edge of the jar to the inner edge of the plug portion of the are also provided clips 11 each preferably formed of a single piece of wire having an intermediate yoke portion 12 with terminal legs 13 extending from the yoke portion at substantially right angles thereto and each ending in a rounded return portion 14: forming an open hook having adegree of-e'lasticity and of a size toengage over the rounded rib 6 of the cap or cover in spaced relation thereto when the yokepor t n lms s at d t gr e 4- Su h portion of the jar.

the jar and the taper tablishes a pressure within end of-the jar,

groove 4 may be in substantially parallel relation' to the edge 3 of the jar mouth as in permit slight movements of the cover away from the mouth of the jar. r

The gasket 10 may be of even thickness throughout its width, or may jtaper toward the inner edge, which inner edge engages the taper portion This means that there is a slight space between the inner edge of the gasket and the inner wall of the jar, hence heated air or steam within the jar in seeking to find es,- cape will flow into such space and the pressure raising the jar cover slightly permits the air or steam under pressure to escape be: tween the gasket and the upper edge of the During such operation" the gasket clings tightly to the jar cap or closure, and hence lifts with it. This prevents any liae bility of blowing out or displacing the ring during the heating operation, since thereis no tendency of the hot gases finding their way between cap. 7

In the practical operation-of theiinvention, the-material'to be preserved is placed in the jar, the cap \'ith the sealing gasket already applied is then mouth end'of the jar, and clips 11 are applied to the cap with the yoke portions snappedinto the grooves 4: or l as the case may be, thereby anchoring the cap to the jar. This anchoring, however, is not so firm but that the cap may yield slightly to superior internal pressure, and air trapped within the jar, and possibly in the contentsof the jar, isexpanded, while continued heat causes the formation of'steam or vapor. This es the jar acting on the cap to raise it, so that the air under 9 of the jar cap or closure.

the sealinggasket andithe jar placed upon the pressure and finally the steam or vapor under pressure escapes from the jar, the hooks the gasket 10 moving out of the path of the escaping air and steam to an extent preventing it from being affected by such air or steam. When. the contents of the jar have been sufiicientlytreated the jar is removed from the heating zone and allowed to cool. On the reduction of superatmospheric internal pressure and the equilibrium of pressure, the elastic tendency of the clips causes the'cap to seat d a he cements of the quite closely upon the mouth tion of the cap and jar further cool until subatmospheric pressure is established in the jar, the superior atmospheric pressure forces the cap more closely against the jar than before, thus squeezing the gasket relation to the jar and causing the gasket to engage to an extent between the plug porthe inner wall of the mouth end of the ar. When the contents of the jar have finally cooled to atmospheric temperature, the absence of air in the jar and the condensation of the vapor or steam caused by heating, result in the establishment of a condition closely approaching a vacuum, so that such arily called a vacuum, and the available at mospheric pressure may closely approach in effect full atmospheric pressure, or nearly fifteen pounds per square inch. The clips 11 being no longer needed, are removed, and may be used upon other jars being treated.

With a jar constructed in accordance with the present invention there are no surface protuberances at all, and consequently the jars may be packed together in close relation without being subjected to such strains as are liable to occur where slight ridges or other protuberances are present.

What is claimed is 1. A preserving jar comprising a body member of even diameter throughout with oppositely-disposed circumferentially extended grooves in its outer wall near the mouth end, a cap member having a plug portion adapted to enter the jar, and a peripheral bead of a diameter to override the mouth end of the jar, said cap being adapted to confine a sealing gasketto the mouth of the jar, and temporary clips each having a yoke portion and elastic hook portions and adapted to engage in a respective one of the grooves of the body of the jar and over the bead portion of the jar cap when applied to the body of the jar for yieldingly holding the cap in place during treatment of the jar to cause vacuum conditions therein.

2. A preserving jar comprising a body portion having exterior grooves near the mouth end, a cap member providedwith a peripheral bead adapted to override the mouth end of the jar and a plug portion adapted to enter the mouth of the jar, a gas ket of a Width to extend from the outer edge ofthe bead portion of the cap'member to the inner end of the plug portion thereof,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for 10 into firm air tight,v

condition is customfive cents each, by addressing Washington, D. G.

and temporary clips each having a portion adapted to enter a respective groove in the outer face of the jar and provided with members adapted to engage the cap member behind and of a size to then be in spaced relation to the bead portion thereof and having a degree of elasticity to yield to pressure exerted on the cap member within the jar and tending to lift the cap from the jar.

3. A preserving jar comprising a body. portion having circumferentially extended exterior grooves near the mouth end, a cap member provided with a peripheral bead adapted to override the mouth end of the jar and a plug portion adapted to enter the mouth of the jar, a gasket of a Width to extend from the outer edge of the bead portion of the cap member to the inner edge of the plug portion thereof, and temporary clips each comprising a yoke portion and legs extending therefrom in substantially parallel relation one to the other and terminating in hook extremities of a size to extend about and in spaced relation and engage the upper back of the bead, each of elasticity to yield to from within the ar upon ing to lift it from the jar.

4.- A preserving jar comprising a body portion and a cap member adapted to the body portion to confine a sealing gasket beto the head of the cap tween the cap memberand the mouth of the jar, and temporary clips for holding the cap portion to the jar preparatory to sealing the jar, each clip comprising a single piece of wire bent into an intermediate yoke with terminal legs extending therefrom at substantially right angles thereto and each ending in a rounded return portion forming an open hook of a size and having a degree of elasticity to engage the cap member by the end of the hook and be otherwise in spaced relation to said cap member when the yoke portion is in engagement with the jar and yield to pressure within the jar tending to force the cap member away from the e In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK BRELLE, SR.

Witnesses: V

S. G. TOMPKINS, BROOKS ToMrKms. 

